Spring-balanced hinged step for cars.



F. W. HILD, F. P. MAIZE & W. L. COOP.

SPRING BALANCED HINGED STEP FQR CARS. APPLICATION FILED ocT.2.1914.

1,182,563. Patented May'9,1916.

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Amm/vir UNITED sra Es rAfiiEN Io. l

FREDERIC W. HILD, FRANK P. MAIZE, AND WILLIAM LEWIS COOP, yOE PORTLAND,

1 i OREGON. f i Y f srRINs-BALANcEnHINsED srEr EOE CARS.,

y Application sied october 2,1914. seal no. 864,698.

'To all whom imag concern." f

Be it knoivnthat We, FREDERIC W. HILD, FRANK P. MAIZE, and WILLIAM LEWIS Goor, citizens of the United States, and" residents, respectively, ofthe city of Portland, county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, have 'invented a certain, neW and useful Improvement in Spi'ingBalanced Hinged Steps for Cars, of which the following is a specification. 1 f

Our invention relates to the hinged step of the spring-balanced type frequently used on street railway and interurban cars. f

ln the springbalanced steps heretofore commonly used the cooperating devices are so arranged that the springs are in action in all positions f the step kconsequently When i the stepnis in its doi'vn or service position it is not held firmly in place, and every time/it is `stepped luponran annoying *rattling sound is caused. To remove such annoyance is the n object rof our invention.,`

` is a sectional elevation of a portionk of the n entrance of a street-car, showing our im' Our invention, may in a general Way, `be described as consisting in the combination with a car of a step pivoted on a horizontaly axis, and means for balancing the step on its pivotal axis in all positions except its down position, said balancingmeans being arranged to' be rendered inactive by the placing of the step in its doivnipositioii.k y,

" In the accompanying drawings zv Figure 1 proved spring-balanced step'in itsdoivn or service position, and the broken lines shovv the sameiii its up or inactive position; the pieces horizontally alined opposite Fig. 2 illustrate details of -construction; and Fig.

3 is a view similar to Fig..1,. showing our invention `applied toa singlestep.

The floor of the car, at the entrance, is

indicated by a, and one Vof `the. side sills by 7), the latter `having on. its bottom an abutment ypiece c, Which serves as a stop... The

step is hinged on a shaft el, suspended from ythe sill I of the car by any convenient means, notk shown. The stepy e comprises tivo treads c', e2, and a stop lug e3, which, when the step is in its dovvn position, abuts against the stop c. When the step is in its up position the toe e4 of the tread e Will contact with the stop c, thereby limiting the counter-clockwise rotation of the step and holding the latter in its inactive position. The countersliaft ,f is rotatably supported Specification of Letters atent.

, shaft rl passes.

- Patented iiiay a, iaic.

'from"thebottomof the car by any convenient means, not shown, and has fixed on ita lever-arm f', connected to a pinv g on the `step c by a link L. relatively to the step shaft Z for giving good leverage. The countershaft f has mounted onit a fixed. bevel-gear c', in mesh with a bevel-gear j, xed on a vertical shaft lo,

The pin g is locatedl which extends up above the motorinans See detail thereof in pieces shown .in Fig.-

2. p Oneend of this ytube is screwed into the head o Which lis provided With a perforated ear.` The-tube p is made With longitudinal.

slots1 gfand on its ends are threaded ,locknuts o", s." Arodkt telescopes in the tube 70,

anda loose collar or sleeve u, sliding yon the tube p, is fastened to the rod t by a pin u', extending through the slots q.v The outer rend of the rod t is pivotally connected by a pino to the step e, and said rod end is made with a curved offsett, so as to pass over the part of the step through Which'the y Coil-springs fw and m are mounted on the' tube p, the spring fw being confined between the lock-nuts r and the collar u, and the spring m being confined betweenl the collar u and lock-nuts s.

Thepovver of the spring'element is ar-v vertical oscillation. e i l In the construction shown in Fig. 3, the step fi/,pivoting onthe shaft d', has only one tread, and has on its rear side a .lever arm y. A stop e is provided to limit the rotation of the step in both directions. The spring element is connected at one end lto the hanger n', pendent from the car floor and to the lever arm y of the step. The springelement comprises a rod 2 fastened to the head 0 by the pin 3. On the rod 2 slides a threaded sleeve 4, and a collar 5 is threaded on said sleeve. A lock-nut 6 serves soL ico

kio

to hold the collar 5 in fixed position on the sleeve 4. The collar 5 has an ear connected by the pin' with the lever arm y', of the step. A coil spring 8 is mounted onthe rod 2 and is confined between the upper end of the sleeve l and the head o. On the shaft CZ of the step g/ is a lixed lever arm y2 to which the link 7i is pivoted; and the link k is connected to the arm f of the shaft f,

which is rotated by the vertical shaft /cand bevel gears i and j; these devices corresponding to similar operatingV means shown in Fig. 1. e e

Fromy the ioregoing description it will ynow be seen that the step is so poised and controlled by. the spring element that when the step is in its down position the balancing power of the spring action will be partially neutralized; in other words by placing the step to remain in its down position, the devices are lso arranged that the weight of the step. overcomes the vpulling action of the spring. But when the step is slightly lifted the spring element will be thrown into action and aid in lifting the step, Ain so doing minimizing the work required in throwing the step in its inactive or uplifted position. Y

'fVe claim:

1. A spring balanced step comprising a 'step pivoted on a horizontal axis,y a stop for the step when in its'down position,

ymeansffor balancingthe step on its pivotal axis in all positions Vexcept its down position,`said means being adapted to have their balancing action overcomepby the placing of the step in its down position; and means for rotating the step on its pivotal axis.

2.Y In a spring balanced` step the combination of a step pivoted on a horizontal axis, and a springelement controlling the step and operating to hold the same in poise Von its pivotal axis in all positions except its spring element controlling the step, the power of the spring element being made relative to the weight of the step, and the spring element being connected to the step relatively to the latters pivotal axis, so that the spring element will be partiallypneutralized by the placing of the step in its down position, and means for rotating the step onits pivotal axis.

5. A spring balanced step comprising a step pivoted on a horizontal axis, a spring element comprising' a rod, a sleeve sliding on the rod, and a coil-spring controlling relatively to the latters pivotalaxis, and so that "the power .of the spring element will partially be neutralized by the placing of the step in its down position.

6. A spring balanced step comprising a step pivoted on a horizontal axis, a spring element comprising a rod, a sleeve sliding on the rod, and a coil-spring controlling the sleeve, the power of the spring being made relative to the weight of the step, one end of said spring element being pivoted to the supportof the step, and the other end thereof being pivoted to the step relatively to thelatters pivotal axis, and so that the power of the spring element will be partially neutralized by the placing of the step in its downL position, and means for rotating the step on its pivotal axis.

A7. A spring balanced step comprising Va step pivoted` on a horizontal axis, a stop for the' step wheny in its down position, a spring element comprising a rod, a sleeve sliding on the rod, and a coil-spring con' trolling the sleeve, the` power of the spring being made relative to lthe weight of the step, one end of said Spring element being pivoted tothe support of the step, and the other end thereof being pivoted to the step relatively to .the latters ypivotal axis, and so that the power ofthe spring element will bev partially neutralized by the placing of.

the step in its down position, andv means for rotating the step on itsk pivotal axis.

FREDERIC `W. HILI). FRANK P. MAIZE.-v WILLIAM .LEWIS COOP.

Witnesses: f A. W. BLAIR, GEO. J. KELLY.

Copies o this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.,

' Wshinlgton, D. C. 

